When Mickie James steps through the curtain at Bound for Glory near Chicago this weekend, she’ll truly be home again. Not in the geographical sense, mind you, as James hails from Virginia, but competing in the company that first put her on the map in its biggest show of the year — and in a first time singles match against Trinity for the Impact Knockouts World Championship she never lost.
James has reached heights few women have ever matched in pro wrestling, winning 11 world titles between WWE and Impact. At this point in her career, it’s important for her to work somewhere that is supportive of both her and women’s wrestling in general, and as she explained to Under the Ring host Phil Strum, that place is Impact.
“A lot of people sleep on Impact, and I’ve never, never understood it because I look at the roster and I look at the television product and the storylines and the different things that they do, and the packages, and I’m like, ‘this is so great.'” James said.
She added that when she parted ways with WWE in 2021, she wanted to make sure she did something for women’s wrestling. One of those projects became NWA EmPowerrr, that company’s first ever all-women’s event that featured talent from several companies.
Not only was Impact supportive of that card, but James says it has been consistently beneficial for women’s wrestling writ large.
“I feel like they’ve always done a really great job, before anyone else,” she said. “They were the first to really do an incredible job with their women, and to promote them and to give them the time that the men got. And so it felt natural for me.”
Listen to James’ full conversation with Strum above to get more insight from her on:
- Facing Trinity for the first time one-on-one at Bound for Glory, and why Impact has been a great fit for Trinity
- Why she feels every wrestler should have championships as their goal
- What it was like being part of the Asylum era in TNA
- This year’s Impact Hall of Fame class, which features Traci Brooks, Mike Tenay and Don West
- How she feels about husband Nick Aldis becoming SmackDown General Manager in WWE
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Under the Ring drops new episodes every week, with Strum utilizing contacts gleaned from years of pro wrestling fandom and coverage to have an in-depth conversation with a wrestler or other notable personality. Recent guests have included Wrestling Junkie managing editor Nick Tylwalk, longtime manager Father James Mitchell, and AEW star Swerve Strickland.
To make sure you don’t miss an episode, subscribe to Under the Ring on Apple Podcasts or your podcast provider of choice, or check out the Under the Ring YouTube channel to see all of the interviews in video form.